JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — Senator Anthony M. Bucco (R-Morris, Passaic) and Senator Latham Tiver (R-Atlantic, Burlington) are introducing companion legislation to deliver long-overdue financial relief to school districts in the Highlands and Pinelands preservation areas.
The bill, titled “Fairness for School Districts in Development Restricted Areas Act,” would provide additional State aid to districts that cannot close funding gaps through increased ratables due to State-imposed development restrictions under the Highlands Water Protection Act and the Pinelands Protection Act.
“Communities in the Highlands have been asked to shoulder a unique environmental burden for the State while Trenton has failed to hold up its end of the bargain,” said Sen. Bucco. “When a municipality is located in a development-restricted zone, it hampers its ability to generate ratables and leaves families, teachers, and students with fewer resources and fewer options under our broken school funding formula. This legislation is about recognizing those realities and making sure our students are supported and families aren’t left carrying an unfair financial burden.”
Senator Tiver emphasized the importance of ensuring students in the Pinelands are not left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
“These are tight-knit communities who care deeply about both their schools and the environment. However, the way school funding is structured leaves these districts doing far more with far less year after year,” said Sen. Tiver. “We have an obligation to ensure our schools are funded fairly and equally, because every child deserves access to a world-class education, no matter where they live.”
For years, districts in the Highlands and Pinelands preservation areas have faced a double hit from Trenton. In municipalities where development is restricted by law, their ability to offset school funding losses by collecting new local revenue sources is severely limited.
Under the bill, a school district would qualify for additional State aid if it: has experienced a net loss in funding under the school funding formula (S2); has an enrollment of more than 500 students; and is wholly located in a municipality in which at least 25% of its total acreage is situated in the Highlands preservation area or the Pinelands preservation area.
